One of two Great Horned Owls that have taken up residency in a Denver area suburb. Taken on December 3, this one was keeping an eye on me but also struggling to stay awake. 😉
That sun is bright!
For a night owl accustomed to the dark, the early morning sun can perhaps be a bit bright. Certainly that would appear to be the case for this Great Horned Owl as it closes the eye closest to the sun while keeping the other trained on the photographer.
Owl gets it backwards
There is an old Irish saying about having the wind at your back and the sun in your face. Apparently this Great Horned Owl prefers it the other way.
A friend clued me in on a local spot in Thornton, Colorado where a couple of these awesome birds have been hanging out so I had to check them out this afternoon. This one never even opened an eye while the other paid me little more than a cursory glance.
View more images of these two raptors below the main image.
Morning guardian
The resident Great Horned Owls at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal finally sat still long enough to allow me to get a picture this morning.  I don’t think it was particularly thrilled with my intrusion however.  😉  Be sure to note those talons sticking out.  Impressive!
First images with Tamron SP 150-600
First images from my new Tamron SP 150-600 mm taken this afternoon. Conditions weren’t very good with overcast skies and it being mid-afternoon but it was good to finally use the new glass. All in all I am very impressed and happy with the results. Looking forward to playing with it more. Â I shot shutter priority for them all in order to keep the speed up. All images were hand-held – a real trick with this big thing.
Shhh! There’s that guy with the camera again!
“Shhh! There’s that guy with the camera again!” This Great Horned Owl owlet and its siblings were intent on making finding them quite difficult once they fledged. Took me a number of passes through a stand of cottonwood trees near their nest for me to find them as they do a pretty darned good job hiding. It was a lot of fun to watch them grow up and leave the nest. Hopefully mom and dad will be back next spring. Taken May 18, 2014 in Thornton, Colorado.
Um. Hello? You’re interrupting my naptime!
This male Great Horned Owl is regularly spotted in one of a few different trees at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Needing a break from work, I took a quick drive through at lunchtime today and there he was as usual.Given that he likely was up all night, he was pretty tired and could barely open one eye to look at me.
The Great Horned Owl resides year-round in all but the farthest north parts of North America. Â You can learn more about this amazing predator here.
Magpie Harasses a Great Horned Owl
“Go away, little bird!”  This poor owl simply wanted to sit and relax but the magpie was refusing to share its tree.  The interaction between the two was fun to watch with the smaller bird pestering the big one.  Eventually the owl took off in search of a quieter, hassle-free, tree.  Taken May 12, 2014 in Thornton, Colorado.
Maybe if I’m very quiet that guy with the camera won’t see me!
Great Horned Owlet this past Sunday in Thornton, Colorado. Â This is one of the owlets I have been documenting in recent weeks and it won’t be long before it and its sibling are gone. Â Just in the past week they have moved from the tree with the nest to a separate stand of trees about 25 yards away.
The Chase: Great Horned Owl versus Magpie
As you may have heard on the news, parts of Colorado were hit by a somewhat unusual May snowstorm yesterday. In its wake I figured I would go check on the local owl nest and see how the little ones were doing.
As it turns out, the three owlets weathered the storm (pun intended) just fine. While I was observing them I heard a commotion coming from a nearby tree and saw a lot of movement.  On further inspection I see mama or daddy owl being hassled by a rather persistent magpie that did not appreciate the big bird’s presence.
I captured a few shots of them sniping at each other and then the owl took flight with the magpie chasing it. Captured a few shots of the chase. Unfortunately they didn’t come out as sharp as I would have liked but it was pretty cool to see nevertheless.Â
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